THE 32nd ANNUAL SCARECROW FEST IN ST. CHARLES – OCTOBER 6-8, 2017

Published 09/28/2017

ST. CHARLES, ILLINOIS – The 32nd annual Scarecrow Fest, presented by ComEd – cited once again as one of Country Living Magazine’s top Fall Fests for 2017 - will take place on October 6th–8th in downtown St. Charles. All of the signature events that make this Fest so unique and memorable will be present, including a full roster of live entertainment and returning popular headliner bands.

New to the Fest this year are two groundbreaking attractions: The Greater St. Charles Farm Tours, featuring access to the activities and history of FIVE working Farms here in the Greater St. Charles service area: Historic Corron Farm, Garfield Farm Museum, Norton Farm, Primrose Farm, and The Royal Lusitano. Also new, the “All Wheels In” Family Bike Ride Extravaganza, starting at local business Sammy’s Bikes. “All Wheels In” features two custom bike ride adventures: The Family Ride – 12-15 miles of scenic trails along the Fox River; and the Farm Ride – a 38 mile cyclist challenge, perusing the city and countryside of the area from St. Charles to Maple Park.

Four Zones of activity will once again frame Fest Activity: The Meijer Zone in Lincoln Park – featuring Cars on display from sponsor, Fox Valley Auto Group; the Scarecrow Contest, presented by St. Charles Bank and Trust and featuring 100+ scarecrows on display. This year’s contest includes 6 categories: Mechanical, Mega Scarecrows, Clubs and Not-for-Profits, Family, Individuals and the Greater St. Charles Business Category. And there is still time to enter. The deadline is September 29th! The Meijer Zone is also home to the Lincoln Park Entertainment Stage, featuring the Fest’s hottest entertainment, including headliners bands Rockstar Rodeo, American English and 7th Heaven.

The Pheasant Run Resort Zone features the Greater St. Charles Business category Scarecrow Contest entrees plus the ever popular Windy City Amusements Carnival, which runs October 5-8. $25 wristband specials will be available daily at key times during the Fest.

The Gerald Kia of North Aurora Zone features the Fox Valley Ice Arena Challenge and one of two of the beloved Make Your Own Scarecrow stations – a Fest family favorite.

And St. Charles’ own Baltria Vintage Auto Gallery will again display part of its classic car inventory at the Fest. The Baltria Vintage Auto Zone will also feature professionally carved pumpkins, Make Your Own Scarecrow, Glowby the Bubbler, a Petting Zoo, Fest T-Shirts on sale by local business Button Man printing; and photo op stations featuring Baltria’s classic cars.

Pottawatomie Park will house the ever popular Autumn on the Fox Arts & Crafts Show, with handmade arts and crafts from more than 150 exhibitors. Two local restaurants will have celebratory events on the last day the Fest. Abby’s Breakfast and Lunch will host a buffet style Character Lunch, featuring friends from the Wizard of Oz, Abby’s Friends and the Chicago Steel’s Rusty. At the conclusion of the Fest, a special farm to table dinner will take place at The Finery and Blacksmith Restaurant, featuring food from local fields.

As always, admission and parking are free. Fest guests are encouraged to take advantage of the free shuttles from The Quad (formerly Charlestowne Mall) and School District 303 parking lots. The trolley route will once again extend to Pottawatomie Park.

The GSCCVB gratefully thanks presenting sponsor ComEd and the many additional sponsors who make this year’s festival possible. For more information about Scarecrow Fest, visit newly updated www.ScarecrowFest.com.

The GSCCVB is funded by the Illinois Office of Tourism and a portion of the hotel/motel tax collected by the City of St. Charles hotels to promote the Greater St. Charles area as a destination for leisure tourists, conventions, sports events, and meetings. For additional information regarding the bureau’s marketing and sales activities, contact the bureau at 630-377-6161 or www.visitstcharles.com.